Tipa Caravan's Diary: Year One
by strixOwl
Summary: The adventures of the caravan from Tipa Village, written in a diary format by the caravaners.
1. Preface

Tipa Caravan XI Journey Log

We, the sixth caravan of the village Tipa, hereby declare this to be an accurate log of our journeys together. No events herein are false or fabricated. What is transcribed here is what we caravaners saw and did.  
Signed:  
_Abadae_

Se Kan

Kenach Sudd

Tristan Ire

_ Yusha Wood_


	2. Entry 1: Setting Out

Entry the First

Today is the day of our departure. I, Abadae of the Yukes, have the honor of writing our first entry. The previous Caravan of our village retired at the end of last year. We have now taken up their chalice and continued in their stead. Our caravan currently consists of Se Kan, son of the Selkie fisherman Zeh Gatt. He is the youngest of our party, at only 17 years of age. Tristan Ire, a Clavat farmer, is our chalice carrier and navigator. Kenach Sudd, the local blacksmith, and a good friend of mine. I expect that it was especially tough for him to set out today, leaving his wife and son behind. Lastly is Yusha Wood, daughter of the rancher, Holst. Holst has not been seen for many years. He had traveled with the previous Tipa Caravan, but never returned. I wonder what became of him…

And, of course, there is myself. I have no family to speak of, though. The only information worth recording of myself is that I used to be a scholar at the city of Shecka. I've now come to reside in Tipa, and hope to further my study of crystals on this journey.  
It seems we are slowing down. Perhaps we have reached our camp site? Ah, we have. I must help the others unpack…

_Abadae of the Yukes_


	3. Entry 2: Sol Racht

Second Entry

So, we camped on the side of the road last night. Se Kan nearly roasted his foot in the campfire…

Another caravan decided to camp on the other side of the road during the night. Their wagon was made almost entirely of metals. To be honest, I felt a little ashamed that we were going to travel the land in our old, wooden wagon. Anyway, they were the Lilty caravan of Alfitaria. Their leader, Sol Racht, and Kenach began to strike up a conversation. I hear Kenach learned his blacksmith skills during a stay in the Lilty capital. I don't care much for weaponry and armor, so I didn't pay much attention. What did catch my eye was a pretty big moogle with a travel bag, waddling around. He said his name was Stiltzkin. Apparently, he is a world traveler. He can roam the land without a crystal, since moogles are unaffected by miasma. I kind of envy him…

He suddenly asked me if we had any idea of where we were going. I probably blushed then; I didn't know. And I'm the caravan's navigator. Stiltzkin offered me his old map of the land. He said he didn't need it anymore, since he knew the world like the back of his hand.  
I'm looking at the map right now…it seems the nearest place of interest is the path to the River Belle…

_Tristen_


	4. Entry 3: River Belle Path

Entry Three

We continued our journey northwards today. Until we came to a sign that read  
"Port Tipa" and another, just under it, saying "River Belle Path" But on the bottom sign, the words, "BEWARE MONSTERS" were scribbled hastily in red. Abadae concluded that we should take the River Belle route, to Tristan and Yusha's dismay. It made sense, though. Monsters tended to lurk around Myrrh Trees for some odd reason…

Hm…it seems the Clavats have been convinced to take the river path. Tristan volunteered himself to drive the wagon, though. Could the farm boy be…scared? Ha. We're heading in now, I should get my gear together.

Abadae was right, there was a Myrrh Tree at the end of the river! Se Kan rushed to it, but the Giant Crab leapt out of the waterfall at the head of the river! It was one of the biggest creatures I had ever seen. It's sheck was littered with the weapons of fallen caravaners.  
Se Kan jumped on top of it and kept it busy while Abadae prepared a spell. I rushed in after he cast Thundara, hoping to use the smoke as a cover. But I had no such luck. The crab swung at me with it's huge claw, sending me flying into the stones. I don't remember much after that…

We ended up winning the fight, and collecting our first drop of Myrrh from the tree. Kenach had gotten banged up pretty badly, but I healed him with the Cure Magicite that I brought from home. Good thing Mom taught me healing spells for the animals on the ranch! He'll still be sore for a couple of days, though. I'm not that skilled yet…

We headed up the path to next to the waterfall, and got back onto the main road.  
I'm glad we went to the River now. I need to be more brave from now on. We won't find any myrrh if we're cowardly!

_  
-Yusha + Kenach Sudd  
_


	5. Entry 4: Rumors of the Black Knight

Entry the Fourth

We ran into Sol and the Alfitarians again today. We stopped and ate lunch together. Sol told us of a mysterious man known as the Black Knight. I had heard rumors of him at the University of Shella, but I thought they were only rumors.  
Se Kan seemed enthralled by the idea of a courageous hero, wandering the land and helping those in need. I'm not sure he fully understood, though. To wander about, with no ties, no home to go back to…that is not a fate I wish on anyone.  
I hope it is only a rumor, for his sake…

_Abadae of the Yukes_


	6. Unnumbered Entry: Moogle Den

(This entry was ripped out of the journal, and later found in Se Kan's bag.)

Nothing too interesting happened today. Well, no monsters at least. We camped out at Port Tipa. I was glad to see the ocean. I fished for a bit, but I got bored. Nothing was biting. Kenach was teaching Tristan some sword techniques, and Abadae and Yusha were talking about some magic garbage. Pfft.

So I decided to do some exploring. There was a ridge at the edge of the beach, so I decided to climb up. Maybe there'd be some treasure up there… I didn't find any though. But I did find a tiny little cave, just big enough for me to squeeze into. There was an entire cottage inside! Turns out a moogle lives there. We chatted a while, until I saw how dark it was getting outside. And I forgot to tell anyone where I was going. Whoops.  
So I got scolded by Yusha something awful. She sounded like my mother…My little adventure wasn't for nothing, though. I managed to snag a little trinket from the moogle's table when he wasn't looking. I'm sure he won't--DAMN! I shouldn't have written that…damn ink, can't erase it…Abadae will have my head--


	7. Entry 5: Miasma Stream

Entry Five

Ugh, that place was so creepy it wasn't even funny. Even Kenach seemed a bit shaken up.

I can already tell that these Miasma Streams are going to be my least favorite part of these trips. At least you get a rush when you fight monsters, but this…just feels dead. Even inside the wagon, with the protection of the crystal chalice, it just feels colder here. The blue aura around the whole place meant that we needed a water crystal to pass through. Luckily, Tipa is a sea-side town, our chalice was already holding one. Abadae told me the little bit of information he knew about crystal elements. I think it has something to do with Magicite, but I'm not sure…if it did, then wouldn't there be a "Cure Element" too? This doesn't make much sense. I'm just glad we're out of there.

But, I still can't help but wonder, what does happen to those taken by miasma…?

_~Yusha_


	8. Entry 6: Mushroom Forest

Sixth Entry

Man, what a day. Where to start…well, it's been a few days after we left the Peninsula, and entered the Ironmine Downs region. It feels strange not to see water on the horizon. Hmm. Anyways, we have gotten our second drop of myrrh! Huzzah! It was on our way to Marr's Pass, the only real settlement in the area. Unless we went back to Tipa, but that'd mean crossing the miasma stream again…ugh.  
It was Se Kan that noticed it first. As we were riding down the road to Marr's Pass, there were many mushrooms lining the road. I didn't think much of it, but it sure got Se Kan excited. He grabbed as much as he could get and stuffed them in his pack. Abadae warned him that they were probably poisonous, but he didn't listen. As usual.

But, the funny thing was, as we rode along, each mushroom we passed was larger than the last! Even Kenach got out to look, after we passed one taller than myself! He was taking one of his naps, and not much can wake him up from that. Needless to say, we had taken a wrong turn. Whoops. We were in the Mushroom Forest, a detour on the way to the crossroads.

We had all gotten out of the wagon to look around, when a Gremlin leapt out from behind a mushroom. It caught us by surprise, but we fought it off. We continued through the forest for what seemed like forever, constantly on guard. We could barely see through all that spore.  
Heh…I actually helped out a bit this time. And not just be driving the wagon, or holding the chalice. I fought! And killed monsters! My father had given me a sword before I left, but I was afraid to use it. Kenach has been teaching me fighting techniques ever since we camped at Port Tipa beach.

It's a good thing we lost our way, though. There was a myrrh tree at the end of the forest. But as we walked up to it, Yusha stepped on this…thing. It looked kind of like a plant, but…it had this huge mouth full of pointy teeth. Pretty gross, if you ask me. It got kinda mad, and started snarling at her and stuff. I felt a sudden gush of air, and all the mushroom spores were pulled in…right to the plant-thing. It seemed to absorb them all, grow to ten times it's size, and began to attack!

It tried to inhale us, just like it did with the spores, but we all grabbed onto some nearby 'shrooms. Kenach and Se Kan rushed in after it stopped to take a breath, and dealt some pretty good damage to it. Until it breathed poison smog at them. Yusha ran to heal them after the cloud vanished, and me and Abadae went to fight it. Alone.

It immediately flailed at us with it's tentacle…vine…things. It caught me by the right arm, but since I wield my sword with my left hand, I could still stab it. We kept that up for a while, attacking it's arms like that. Then Se Kan delivered the final blow, by firing an arrow strait into it's open mouth.

I've still got bandages on my arm as I'm writing this. The darned thing had thorns, and big ones too! Still, it's good to know I can be of some use. Maybe next time I'll try to keep us on track, though…

_Tristen_


	9. Entry 7: Marr's Pass

Entry the Seventh

We made our way into Marr's Pass a few days ago. My, how nice it is to sleep in a bed! I never knew how much I'd miss it. We have been resting up here, healing our wounds, repairing our equipment, and relaxing.

It's quite odd, when I think about it. This town used to be a hub of commerce, the last time I visited it. Of course, that was fifty years ago, give or take a few years. Now, it is little more than an outpost. Strange how things change. I wonder how different Shecka is from how I left it…  
Tristan is still learning everything he can from Kenach. That boy's beginning to idolize him, I believe. I only ever see Se Kan in the morning and at night now. Crystals know what he's doing all day…

We have pooled our gil together and rented a room at the local inn. It's on the second floor, so we have a nice view of the town from here.  
Oh dear, I can hear Kenach arguing with that weapon smith again…I had better get going.

_Abadae of the Yukes_


	10. Entry 8: Mine of Cathuriges

Entry 8

We finally had to leave Marr's Pass and go find our last drop of myrrh. Too bad, 'cuz I was having fun there…We ended up heading north, to the Cathurigian Mines. Apparently, the Lilties used to own the place. But once they used up all the metal, they left. That stinks. I was hoping to find something good here. Aw well.

Someone in town mentioned the abandoned Mines, so we decided to check it out. It's a pretty cruddy place. Dark, overheated, dirty, and full of orcs. Supposedly, there was a myrrh tree somewhere inside. I didn't buy it, though. How the heck could a tree grow under ground, in a place with practically no water? But hey, cactuar live in the desert, so who knows right?

I kept bumping into everyone, or stepping on their feet. I could barely see my hand in front of my face! The only light in the place was from a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. But get this, they weren't really lanterns at all! They were these little fire monsters in cages! I wonder who put them there, the Lilties or the Orcs? We didn't have to worry about that for long though. Abadae found a Fire Magicite on an Orc Shaman we defeated. It wasn't very strong, but at least it was light.

I'm not sure how long we stayed down there. We kept getting lost, and the Orcs jumped out of nowhere to attack us. I dunno how they liked to stay in there. We ended up making to the a forge at the end of a long tunnel. Like it wasn't already hot enough. At least we had some light now, though. I looked down the next tunnel, trying to find a myrrh tree, when someone yelled, "Se Kan! Look OUT!" I turned around to find a giant hammer about to squash me! I rolled out of the way, and saw the Orc King swing and miss me. Boy, was he ever huge! Just as big as that huge crab back at the river, but twice as ugly. Plus, he was holding a hammer and an axe! A bunch of his minions ran down the tunnel towards us as he wound up for another swing. Tristan and me took on the King while Yusha and Kenach distracted his minions. Abadae ran around firing spells at whatever he could.

We fought each other to a standstill. Most of the minions were either dead or had run away, so it was just us and the King. He did something weird though. Instead of charging at us like I thought he would, he backed up to the forge. All of a sudden, he stuck his axe into the burner, and it started to smoke. Kenach swore, and yelled that it was going to explode! We tried to run, but the King chucked his hammer at the wall, and the tunnel caved in. I totally thought we were done for…

But then Abadae got the Fire Magicite he had found out of his bag. He told Yusha to cast a Clear spell on the Orc King on the count of 3. She seemed pretty confused. I was too, actually. I don't know too much about magic, but Clear is a healing spell, right? But she did as she was told. He counted to 3, and they cast their spells. Then, I dunno what the heck happened. A big, glowing orb appeared around the King…and the forge next to him. He started banging on it with his fists, but he was stuck inside! The forge exploded, killing the Orc King. It was pretty gory, to tell the truth…

As we dug our way out, I realized something. That King was willing to destroy himself just to stop us from hurting the anymore orcs. Even though he was a monster, he still cared about his brothers…

As it turns out, that orb was actually a "fusion spell" or something. I guess magic can be mixed. How weird. Abadae told me, since I was confused as a flan with feet. Since him and Yusha cast Clear and Fire together, it made some kind of barrier spell. I dunno. Magic is too complicated for me.

_Se Kan_

As our Selkie friend so kindly left out, there was indeed a myrrh tree in the Mine of Cathuriges. It's amazing how it could grow, even in conditions like these. Perhaps they are more than just trees…?

_Abadae of the Yukes_


	11. Entry 9: Home Again

Entry the Eleventh

We have arrived back at Tipa, with our chalice full of Myrrh. The journey to home seemed so much shorter than the journey leaving it. It is odd. We saw some other caravan's along the way, and talked of our adventures. Sharing fighting strategies, cooking recipes, and fusion spells.  
Roland just finished the Rejuvenation Ceremony, and restored the crystal's power. All the myrrh we collected is gone. I am happy our journey was successful, but as I look at the empty chalice…I can not help but feel a sense of foreboding. What creatures will we face next year?  
I am sorry to make this entry so short, I know it is an important one. But now, it is time for the festival. I must go celebrate with the others!

_~Abadae of the Yukes, Leader of Tipa Caravan  
_


End file.
